An album like this could cement Sarah McLachlan as a
middle-of-the-road crooner ready for the
Andy Williams
Christmas Show, but there's more beneath the surface of
Wintersong than just Christmas chestnuts, over-roasting on
an open fire. Longtime McLachlan producer Pierre Marchand blurs the
borders with ambient sound effects, distorted guitars, and subtle
echoes. He adds a Mark Isham-esque muted trumpet solo emerging out
of reverse echoes on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as if viewing the
song through a distorted mirror. Violins that sound like they're
being blown through a Leslie speaker combine unpredictably with a
banjo on "O Little Town of Bethlehem." And on the seventh song,
McLachlan finally kicks the album into another gear, turning "The
First Noël" into a storming entreaty backed by tribal drums
and surging low strings. Her voice is like the serene angel amidst
the raging storm. I wish McLachlan had taken more chances like
this, instead of the subtle framing she employs around melodies
that remain true to form. Surprisingly, the more contemporary songs
by John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot are the least
inventive. Her reading of Mitchell's incandescently wistful "River"
is overly faithful to the original, and Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War
Is Over)" sounds like karaoke, right down to the Spector-esque
production and children's choir. But given that Lennon's prayer for
peace still remains unanswered, that fidelity could be intentional.
Regardless, this is familiar Christmas fare delivered in an
intimate and ethereal fashion that will satisfy those who believe
in the nostalgic spirit of the season.
--John Diliberto
More from Sarah
McLachlan
|
Mirrorball: The Complete Concert
|
Surfacing
|
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
|
|
Afterglow
|
VH1 Storytellers: Sarah McLachlan (DVD)
|
Solace
|
